A review by emilynied
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

adventurous challenging dark emotional fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I didn't even realize this book was about vampires until I actually picked it up so that was an...interesting surprise. Alas, I actually really enjoyed it! Oraya is a strong female main character to follow, a human in a world of vampires. She's "not like the other girls" because the "other girls" are vampires :) Love that for her. 

I also really liked Raihn. He seemed like a jumble of MMCs we've seen before in the fantasy romance genre, but I can't fault him for that, can I? Towards the end of the book, the reader learns more about Raihn and his true personality behind the funny/bad boy facade that he presents in the vampire realm.
And I think the reveal of his past-human self and the fact that he was turned provided so much insight into his character and made him a much more interesting/thought out character on the page.
I really enjoyed reading about his character development and how Oraya changed with him as well. 

The plot was super exciting, the trials really kept the pacing quick for me. The world building beyond, the castle, however, felt a little *eh.* I think because Oraya was kept in the dark for much of the world beyond her own, I as the reader felt really left out too (obviously). So when the time came for the big reveal, it felt a little unsubstantiated to me. I do think the reveals at the end were great. This was a great fantasy read. Overall, this book was very satisfying to read and I'm excited for the second book because man, that ending was CRAZYY.